The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-01-21

] ''''n III 'iit oiIbot. ltb all bhF VIII
dren assemble in the morning; let all the
! children Of these friendly households come
/ together and sing some simple little song
expressive Of the grand ideas which are
suggested by the opening of the day. There
is such wealth of beautiful religious
| thought connected with the dawn, and of
the evening, and starlight. Some songs of
| this kind have already been written and
might be used at once; others undoubtedly
will be written as soon as there is a call
for them. But can think of nothing more
gracious, nothing that will have more
sanctifying influence on the day, both for
the children and for adults, than the habit
of introducing this little ceremony. Our
| life is deficient in ceremony. We under
rate the value of ceremony, only the cere-
mony must have a genuine meaning for us.
1t must not express the feelings of eigh-
teen hundred years ago. 1t must express
or feeling, our needs. Such ceremony
as have suggested, | think, will answer
the purpose, "a little service of song.
AS regards the MONDAY. or the grace at
meals. | would say that even the simple
| quiet before partaking of food, a moment
| or two of silence, is valuable. 1t is better
| than nothing, better than simply sitting
down and proceeding TO the business of
eating. But fear that these moments of
quiet are often apt to be moments of vacan-
cy, and that the mind, coming in from the
busy workday life, cannot at once come to
rest and the custom or the ceremony is
likely to become purely formal. at least
should fear that danger. | can only say
that my own idea of a substitute for the
grace at meals would be this and do not
think it necessary that this substitute
should be employed at every meal it is
sufficient il once a week, or even once a
takes place, because it serves to impress it.
self ON the mind and is remembered even
when NOT repeated.
My own idea of grace at meals is this:
How are we to regard the act of partaking
of food? What does it mean for us 1t
means, to my mind, simply this: that all
nature is tributary to man, and to man in
50 far as he is the bearer and the represent
alive of a higher life. When look at the
board plentifully spread with viands it
seems to me as if all nature came troop
ing in to pay tribute to me. Here is this
table that the forest has brought. This
IL
me this table This linen cloth, the fields
have given it to me. 1t is made of fiber
which grew out in the fields. This metal
knife, or fork, this silver stand, perhaps, it
has been taken out of the bowels of the
earth and the bowels Of the mountains
where it remained for ages and ages, and
icons ant, icons. Nature preserved it there.
This beautiful gift which is given to me Is
the gift of the mo .ntains, and the water is
the gift of the spring, and the bread | eat
is the Gift OF the fields, and even the
flesh that We must eat, at least many OF us
think so, and the thought of which some
times makes our refined natures culver, to
think that We should he feeding on life,
yet it has noble meaning. 1t means that
all lie, whether the life of the fields,
or of the woods, or Of the springs, or of the
mountains. or even the life of the lower
animated beings, is tributary to us. That
is to say. we absorb all these uses into cur
own higher uses, and wc sanctify the uses
of nature by translating them into the
higher uses OF noble, moral, virtuous, ex-
cellent life. The sanctiiication and the
justification of the act OF partakng of food
is that we should convert these uses which
all nature lays at our feet Into the higher,
nobler uses of man $ spiritual being.
Thoughts like these, simply stated in APP
propriate language. and repeated perhaps
think will take the place of the grace at
meals.
In closing, | wish To say a word concern
ing the institution of sections, which You
to me it is one of the most promising things
that has ever been attempted in the ethical
movement Our object is not like that OF
many moral societies, nor is our object like
that of the church. The church believes
that there is one formula of faith, which,
il a man accepts, he is forever regenerate
thereafter, hence the great emphasis of
church work is put upon confirming one
self in that formula of belief, and offering
the same formula 10 others. Al bottom the
church believes i'll miraculous change of
character wrought by a belief in Christ;
and church gatherings are simply means
of confirming oneself in that belief, and
church missionary work is based upon Inc
idea of bringing the same formula to
Others
Now we do not believe that there is any
one formula that can regenerate us. we
feel that the work of regeneration is the
work of years and gradual in its results.
On the other hand we are not like many
other moral societies devoted to progress,
who make. in another way, the same mis-
take as the churches; who believe that they
have found some one reform which they
wish to press on others. There is a certain
narrow spirit, must say, i'll many "f our
reform societies There are many temper
ance people who believe that the one thing
to do in life is to preach temperance, and